Enzyme Related Synthesis of Lipids and Fabrication of Planar Lipid Membranes

Abstract

Biological membranes are structurally and functionally complex supramolecular assemblies. The intricate complexity itself poses a significant barrier in investigating the constituents, components, and their structure-activity relationships. Scientists employ twosynthetic methods to reduce complexity: the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach. The top-down synthetic approach involves genome reduction of the living cell, leading to a collateral reduction in membrane complexity. In contrast, the bottom-upsynthetic approach like chemical and enzymatic synthesis engages assembly of non-living components to construct biomimetic membrane structures with desired complexity. The synthetic routes catalyzed by enzymes are referred to as enzymatic synthesis, while routes utilizing a combination of catalytic systems and enzymes are known as chemo-enzymatic synthesis. The lipids prepared by enzymatic or chemo-enzymatic method are essential to integrate into a membrane in a manner that makes them amenable to various analytical techniques. Planar lipid bilayer method is one such versatile technique which can be used to prepare membranes from individual lipid molecules to utilize in various analytical procedures. Two planar lipid membranes types, black lipid membrane and supported lipid membrane, are more common than other types due to their less complexity in preparation. This review discusses the enzyme related synthesis of lipids, the method of preparation and challenges involved in fabricating black lipid membrane and supported lipid membrane models.